Liquid skin cleanser

Abstract

A skin cleansing composition comprising a salt of lauric acid; a salt of stearic acid; and at least one surfactant that is not a salt of a fatty acid; wherein the ratio of the salt of lauric acid to the salt of stearic acid, calculated as the ratio of lauric acid to stearic acid by weight, is from 2.5:1 to 3.5:1. Also provided are methods of using the compositions.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A liquid skin cleanser composition comprising:
 a salt of lauric acid; 
 a blend of salts of stearic acid and palmitic acid; 
 at least one surfactant that is not a salt of a fatty acid; and 
 cocomonoethanolamide; 
 wherein the ratio of the salt of lauric acid to the blend of salts of stearic acid and palmitic acid, calculated as the ratio by weight of lauric acid to combined weight of stearic acid and palmitic acid, is from 2.5:1 to 3.5:1; 
 wherein the salt of lauric acid is potassium laurate; the blend of salts of stearic acid and palmitic acid is a blend of potassium stearate and potassium palmitate; the at least one surfactant that is not a salt of a fatty acid includes sodium laureth sulfate, cocoamidopropyl betaine, and ethoxylated fatty alcohol. 
 
     
     
       2. The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the salt of lauric acid to the combined salts of palmitic and stearic acids, calculated as the ratio of weight of lauric acid to combined weight of palmitic and stearic acid, is about 3:1. 
     
     
       3. The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the amount of salt of palmitic acid to the amount of salt of stearic acid in the blend, calculated as the ratio of weight of palmitic acid to stearic acid in the blend is from 1.3:1 to 1.8:1; preferably about 1.5:1. 
     
     
       4. The composition of  claim 1 , which is devoid of myristic acid, or its salts. 
     
     
       5. The composition of  claim 1 , which is devoid of salts of fatty acids other than the salts of lauric acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid. 
     
     
       6. The composition of  claim 1  further comprising an antibacterial agent. 
     
     
       7. The composition of  claim 6 , wherein the antibacterial agent is selected from trichlorocarbanilide, triclocarban, PCMX/chloroxylenol, IPMP/o-Cymen-5-ol, Zinc Compounds, and Phenoxyethanol, wherein the antibacterial agent is present in an amount of from 0.01% to 3% by weight of the composition. 
     
     
       8. The composition of  claim 6 , wherein the antibacterial agent is trichlorocarbanilide, which is present in an amount of from 0.01% to 0.3% by weight of the composition. 
     
     
       9. The composition of  claim 1 , wherein sodium laureth sulfate is present in the composition an amount of from 5% to 12% by weight. 
     
     
       10. The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the ethoxylated fatty alcohol is present in the composition an amount of from 0.2% to 1% by weight. 
     
     
       11. The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one surfactant that is not a salt of a fatty acid further comprises a propoxylated monoethanolamide, wherein the propoxylated monoethanolamide is PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide, which is present in the composition an amount of from 0.2% to 1% by weight. 
     
     
       12. The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the cocoamidopropyl betaine is present in an amount of 5% to 12% of the composition by weight. 
     
     
       13. The composition of  claim 1 , wherein cocomonoethanolamide is present in an amount of from 0.5% to 2.5% of the composition by weight. 
     
     
       14. The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises:
 4 to 6% by weight of the potassium laurate, 
 1 to 2% by weight of the potassium stearate, 
 0.8 to 2% by weight of the potassium palmitate, 
 8 to 13% by weight of the sodium laureth sulfate, 
 5 to 9% by weight of the cocoamidopropyl betaine, 
 0.6 to 1.2% by weight of the ethoxylated fatty alcohol, and 
 0.5 to 2% by weight of the cocomonoethanolamide.